May World Afrin Day by Council of Afrin Canton

The people of Afrin and its defense forces, who fought ISIS on behalf of the whole world, have resisted the heavy weaponry and war crimes of the fascist Turkish state and its jihadist allies for 58 days. Their resistance has become an example for all the peaceful and democratic people of the world.

From the beginning, democratic forces across the globe rose up to support our resistance. They became the voice of the Afrin Resistance, seeking to break the silence of international powers in the face of human rights violations and the crimes of the Turkish state.

Unfortunately, institutions and decision makers turned a blind eye to our resistance, acting according to their own interests. We were forced to evacuate civilians from Afrin to prevent further massacres against our peaceful people. Our resistance entered a new phase after the civilians left Afrin. We have promised to continue this resistance, and we won’t allow the will of our people to be broken.

In this spirit, we want to thank you for your solidarity and support. Thank you for understanding the danger of the brutal actions of Erdogan’s government and its jihadi allies: their destruction of our homes, their killing, kidnapping and oppression of our civilians, and their open attempt to occupy and change demographics in Afrin, as well as other places like Jarabulus, Bab and Idlib. The policies of Turkification and of undermining the sovereignty of the Syrian state are clear violations of international law.

On behalf of the Democratic Self-Administration and all its entities, we salute all democratic and peaceful actions today. May World Afrin Day, May 26th 2018, be a day of finishing all fascist and dictatorial systems, a day of breaking terror and accomplishing democracy. If Erdogan, who is nurturing terrorism, won’t be held accountable for his crimes, if his brutal actions continue to be met with silence, it will be a huge threat to all of humanity.

We once again call on all human rights organizations to fulfill their duties and stop the crimes of the Turkish state. It is essential for these organizations to send research committees to Afrin to understand the ongoing events. Necessary decisions need to be made to expose the crimes of Turkish forces and their mercenaries in Afrin. Furthermore, the forced demographic changes in Afrin and all over Syria needs to be stopped. Forced demographic change is a crime against humanity, and will lead to more challenges for Syria’s people and endanger unity.

We call on the United Nations, the U.N. Security Council, and the European Union to put pressure on Turkey to leave the occupied regions and to guarantee that all displaced people can safely return to their homes

Long live the Resistance of the Age in Afrin!

Long live democratic solidarity!

We bow to the souls of the freedom fighters who lost their lives in the struggle.